A Song and A Prayer

January 12, 2013

By Ernie Knoll

www.formypeople.org

In my dream, I am looking at a young mother in a rocking chair. She is holding her infant son in her arms. The angel I call “the Guide” is holding my right hand. Calling me by my heavenly name, he says that each is given a certain path to walk on. Each is given a choice to walk on the path that the Creator of the path knows the individual can walk upon. {1}

 

The angel says to closely observe and faithfully report what I am shown. As the mother rocks her son, I notice a clock over her right shoulder. A distinct audible ticking sound is heard from the clock every two seconds. It is 2:00 in the morning, and all that I hear is the ticking clock and the mother softly singing to her baby. She sings the words slowly and clearly as a soothing lullaby and to the constant rhythm of the clock. Her voice is comforting, as the words waft from her lips and gently fill the room. She sings from her heart and not as if performing. Each word is a personal instruction for her son. I stand there with the angel and listen to these words over and over.

 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

There’s just something about that name

Master, Savior, Jesus

Like the fragrance after the rain

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

Let all heaven and earth proclaim

Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away

But there’s something about that name.*

 

After some time has passed, the mother gets up from the rocking chair and takes her son to his bed. She carefully lowers him and covers him with a blanket. Then she kneels next to his bed, and I am able to hear her silent prayer. As a single parent, she is telling her heavenly Father that she wishes to dedicate her child’s life to Him. She asks for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and then promises to raise her son with His help. She asks that he be healthy and strong, and that if it is God’s will, her child will serve as a beacon to others in order that they will repent and accept Jesus. She asks that her son will honor the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. {2}

 

The scene changes and I see the infant son as a child now. His mother is telling him a bedtime story about the wonderful things Jesus did when He was on this earth. When she finishes, he asks her to sing “their” song. Her gentle voice replies, “Let’s pray first.” {3} While kneeling, she asks that her son be fruitful through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that many will repent and accept Jesus. She asks that he be able to stand as a beacon of light in a dark world. She asks that the path he walks be such that he can tread with the challenges placed before him. She finishes by asking that holy angels protect and surround them, so that Satan and his angels cannot harm them.

 

After the prayer, all becomes quiet, and as before, the still of the evening is only broken by the ticking clock. That ticking sets a reverent tone and timing for the song, allowing each word to be pondered. She sings their song again in her gentle, soothing voice, and her child drifts off to sleep. Even though she is tired, this mother kneels faithfully, as she always does, next to her son’s bed and silently prays for him. She again dedicates him to God’s service so that he will stand as a mouthpiece, in order that those who have lost their way can find the right path. I watch the hands move on the ticking clock while she pleads on behalf of her child. {4}

 

Now the angel breaks the silence of the mother’s prayer and the ticking clock. He explains that when Jesus was a small child, His mother also prayed for Him. As He grew, she continued to pray for Him. She prayed for this special One she was entrusted with for a short time. Jesus knows the importance of a mother’s petitions and prayers. The angel tells me to record these words that were instructed to be written by the hand of Ellen White:

 

We see a retinue of angels on either side of the gate; and as we pass in, Jesus speaks, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom that is prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Here He tells you to be a partaker of His joy, and what is that? It is the joy of seeing of the travail of your soul, fathers. It is the joy of seeing that your efforts, mothers, are rewarded. Here are your children; the crown of life is upon their heads, and the angels of God immortalize the names of the mothers whose efforts have won their children to Jesus Christ. {Child Guidance, pp. 567-568}

 

Jesus also instructed Ellen White to record these words, which will always stand in the records of heaven as a tribute to mothers.

 

When the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened; when the “well done” of the great Judge is pronounced, and the crown of immortal glory is placed upon the brow of the victor, many will raise their crowns in sight of the assembled universe and, pointing to their mother, say, “She made me all I am through the grace of God. Her instruction, her prayers, have been blessed to my eternal salvation.” {Child Guidance, p. 564}

 

The Guide angel tells me that what I see now is a mother dedicating her child to the heavenly Father. Although her son will have a difficult path to walk, there will never be an obstacle that he cannot overcome, as long as he keeps his eyes on Jesus.

 

The angel calls my attention to the clock. Its hands spin in a blur, showing that hours have gone by in seconds. Not too far to the right of the clock is a wall calendar. Its pages quickly flip, and I realize that much time has gone by. I now see this still single mother, aged from years, listening to her now grown son. He has become rebellious. I listen as he tells his ever patient mother that he has joined the Marines. She listens with patience. Then he tells her goodbye and leaves. She stands alone in the doorway; then she closes the door. The house is quiet, except for the ticking of the ever-present clock. She goes to her son’s empty bed and kneels next to it. She cries and pleads that her teaching and pleading not be in vain. She pleads that her son not be a victim of a senseless war. She prays for his continued protection from the throne in heaven. Again I look at the hands of the clock. They have moved, showing much time has passed while this mother was pleading with God on behalf of her son.

 

The Guide angel now takes me to where the young man is stationed in a military training camp. He stands before a large company of other soldiers, and a superior chastises him with loud yelling. He is being ordered to stand outside late at night and sing for the entire camp. The order is intended to embarrass the young man and force him into submission.

 

Now the angel and I stand outside, close to the young man. All but a few lights in the camp have been turned off, including those in the barracks. All the soldiers throughout this camp are lying in bed, ready to laugh at his singing. It is cool outside; there is no breeze.  It is a very quiet night. The young man standing at attention ponders that clock in the bedroom. His mind goes back to its slow ticking sound. In a rich baritone voice, he sings words that quiet everyone listening. Each person begins to think about the words he slowly sings. He does not sing to perform, but rather the way his mother sang. Each word pours out from his heart as a tribute. He sings the hymn “Amazing Grace.” After he finishes, he stands motionless for several minutes. Now his superior officer comes out and stands in front of him. He speaks softly, his voice almost quivering. He was moved by the voice he just heard, a voice that did not simply sing, but offered a tribute in song. In a subdued voice, he tells the young soldier he is dismissed. As the young man begins to walk away, the officer calls him by his first name. The young man stops and turns to his superior. The officer says, “Thank you.”

 

Much time has passed. The Guide and I are in the Middle East during a war. The area has a very rough terrain of rocks and sand. The angel tells me that there is something I need to understand before I am shown more. With those words, I find myself sitting on a couch in the corridor. It is the same couch on which I have sat with the Herald when he has told me much. The Guide tells me that everyone must understand that when petitions are made for the protection of an individual, sometimes that protection is not provided. Instead, the angels who always want to help are instructed to fold their hands. Sometimes the Father instructs that things be allowed to happen, and many wonder why. But when He commands, angels obey His requests. Sometimes that request is to remove protection and allow harm to occur. This is why all must know that God truly knows the end from the beginning, and that everything happens in His time and in His way.

 

Now the Guide and I are back again, observing the young soldier climb into the front of a military vehicle. As the vehicle leaves on ordered patrols, I see that there are three others with him. There are two other vehicles behind his. As they drive along dirt roads through war-battered towns, I notice they approach a small bridge. As the young man’s vehicle crosses to the other side, there is an explosion, and I see the vehicle almost disintegrate before me. Soldiers from the other vehicles quickly run toward it. Everyone is dead, except for the young soldier. He is lying on the ground, screaming in pain and calling out, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!”

 

Next, the angel and I are in a military recovery hospital. I know that much time has passed. I see the young man in a wheelchair. Both legs have been amputated just above his knees. When many come in and offer to pray with him, he curses and tells them to go away. He curses and blasphemes the name of God and calls out, “Where was your Jesus, where was your God?” He despises any religious singing. He even refuses visits from his mother. The angel tells me that what happened to her son has led her to reinforce her pleadings to God. She asks forgiveness for her son’s words, and for God to send His angels and the comfort of the Holy Spirit to her son. The angel tells me that now she also prays about her error in never taking him to church. {5} The angel tells me that she simply would sing and read to him from the Bible. However, in a wheelchair in front of me, now I see a very bitter man. His life was shattered due to the decision he made to volunteer with the military, contrary to the counsel of his mother. {6} He is angry with himself, but mostly angry that God allowed his injury. The question foremost on his mind is: Jesus, where was He?

 

As I stand there, I realize that I recognize this man, because I have seen him before in my dreams. I turn to the angel to ask him, but before I can say the words, he simply smiles and tells me that I am now to return to a dream I had before. Once again I am standing as an observer. The Herald is on my right side. I notice the same man whom I saw as a baby, as a child, then as a young soldier, and now as an older man sitting in a wheelchair.

 

The following was described in my dream, “The Senior Pastor”:

 

I now notice a man sitting in a wheelchair. He raises his hand and explains that his legs were amputated just above the knees. He says that he is not a Seventh-day Adventist and has never been in a church. However, he heard about this pastor’s sermons, and a friend recommended that he come here today. He states that all he has just witnessed could have been Satan doing the miracles, but the one thing Satan cannot do is create or re-create. He says that he sits in the valley of indecision, that it is not a matter of faith, but he wants to know where was God when he lost his legs, and where was Jesus when he called out His name.

 

The pastor asks two men to assist him to the front. The pastor and elder place two chairs in front of the man. They sit down and the pastor begins to tell the man that when he called out to Jesus, He was there. He explains that God allows things to happen for a reason. Sometimes He allows something terrible to happen when it is for the betterment of many. He says that it is through his loss that today a great miracle will happen through the power of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The pastor and elder stand and move their chairs. The pastor removes his suit coat and instructs the elder to remove his suit coat. The pastor places his coat over the bottom part of the wheelchair, and the elder places his coat to cover as far up as the man’s waist. The pastor and elder kneel and place their arms around the back of the man. Jesus walks over and kneels behind the pastor and elder. The Father walks over and stands bending over Jesus, the pastor, and the elder and wraps His arms over the tops of the pastor, the elder, and the man in the wheelchair.

 

The Herald says something and immediately I am surrounded by several angels, as if for protection. Suddenly everything becomes very bright, even with all the angels surrounding me and with the Herald’s hands cupped over my face. As quickly as I was protected, the angels leave, and I see the Father and Jesus return to the throne. The pastor and elder stand and put their coats back on. As they look down at the man in the wheelchair, they see him stand up and walk barefooted around the platform. It is as if he had never lost his legs. He walks perfectly, not like those who are healed by false healers. The pastor reaches out and takes the man’s hand. He turns to the congregation and says that today they witnessed great miracles, and that they now know the importance of God’s church. It is not the structure, but the foundation. The foundation is faith and unity. It is adhering to the blueprint that the Father laid out for His church. The foundation is the reverent way of worshipping. It is knowing that the only way we are worthy to approach the Father’s throne is through His Son and the sacrifice He made for us. The foundation is knowing and believing that it is Jesus Christ who we need. It is knowing that we need Jesus every hour. He asks that all join the healed man who once again is able to stand for our Creator, our Saviour, and our Brother, Jesus. He requests, “Let us all stand as we sing, ‘I Need Thee Every Hour.’ ”

 

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

 

I need Thee every hour; stay Thou near by;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

 

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

 

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will,
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

 

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.

 

Refrain:
I need Thee, O I need Thee! Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.*

 

In this new dream, I am shown that when the congregation ends the song, the pastor and the man are still standing together. The healed man turns to the pastor and says that he would like to offer a gift to close the meeting. He would like to sing a song he learned as a little child. The pastor asks everyone to take their seats; then he and the elders sit down. The man now stands, still barefoot. When I look down, I see his toes moving, as if keeping time to the movement of that clock. With his head bowed, he silently thinks about that ticking. Slowly, he begins to sing the song engraved in his heart. {7}

 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

There’s just something about that name

Master, Savior, Jesus

Like the fragrance after the rain

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

Let all heaven and earth proclaim

Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away

But there’s something about that name.

 

I look over and see many angels gather about the thrones on the platform (as described in the dream, “The Senior Pastor”). The angels kneel before Jesus and the Father. As the healed man sings, hearts are touched.

 

The Herald explains that I was shown this man before in yet another dream. He reminds me that in the “Final Events and the First Supper” dream, I saw that everyone will be given a chance to choose between keeping God’s laws as shown on the tablets of stone, or keeping man’s laws as given by Satan. The healed man chose to keep God’s laws. He was arrested and placed in a prison, where he would walk around and sing with the gifted voice that God gave him. This was an amazing answer to the pleadings of his mother, that he would become a beacon of light on a dark path, and that he would bring others to the light. He was a tall man and had a voice that resounded over the prison grounds, so everyone could hear him. The guards hated his singing and would give him no food or water. Many times he was given no bed and forbidden from sleeping. Yet he always smiled, as if he had a secret. He would always sing about Jesus, and his favorite song was “There’s Something About That Name.” {8} The Herald tells me to document again what I was shown before in the dream, “Smooth Sayings or Surrender.”

 

I now watch the individual find a man lying on the ground in horrible pain. His legs had been broken above the knee, and the bones protrude from the skin. His face is swollen because it was put into a device that caused his jaw and cheek bones to shatter. This was done to silence him, because he was singing. As I look into his eyes, I see pain but I also see a calm that can only tell of the love of his Savior. Every breath he takes is painful, since his airway is almost closed from the swelling. The Herald explains how the man was told to denounce his decision to keep the seventh day holy. Because he refused, he was denied food and water. He was told to accept Sunday, and because he still refused, they broke his left leg. Again he was told to accept Sunday, but he refused again, so they broke his right leg. Crying out in pain, he proclaimed that Jesus would save him and that he would stand and sing praises to his beloved Master, Savior, and Brother, Jesus.

 

I now watch as the individual places her hands over each of the broken legs and quietly tells him that his prayers have been heard, and that it is through the heavenly Father’s power and in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, that his legs and face will be made whole so that he can once again make a stand. She removes her hands from his legs to reveal no sign of damage. Next she gently cups his swollen face and it is instantly healed.

 

With tears I watch as this man stands up. He looks to the heavens, and in a clear voice exclaims, “It is in the name of Jesus that I call a stop to the noise that flows over this place.” All the time there has been an obnoxious noise emanating from the large loudspeakers placed all over this compound. There was the noise of a bass beat designed to cause the heart to beat irregularly. The music was designed to greatly upset the nervous system. The guards wear head phones to cancel out the noise that stays on day and night, with the same “song” played over and over. Suddenly as if the power cord has been pulled, there is silence. Everyone looks at each other in surprise. As the man speaks, his voice travels over the compound so that many hear him. Others look in shock as they see he has been healed. All now listen to or look at this once broken man left to die. He says that the words spoken in prayer have been heard by his Savior and received by his loving heavenly Father, and that he now stands through Christ’s name and the Father’s power. He can now walk and sing again and stands as a miracle to all. The man now looks toward the long line being formed and joins in at the end. The people are quiet and solemn. The man now begins to sing “All to Jesus I surrender,” and the richness and clarity of his lone voice flows over the place and gives many a new hope.

 

The many guards stand very still and are in shock at what they now see. Three of the guards who injured the man now remember the last bold words he had spoken to them before his face was broken. He had stated that Jesus would save him, and that he would once again stand for his Savior and sing praises to His beloved name. As if a promise, these words were still fresh in their mind.

 

One of the guards tells the other two guards that what he has witnessed is a sign, like an unmovable rock, that this man has been healed to proclaim a great promise. He says that “the Christ” who now walks the earth does not have the power to heal broken bones as he has witnessed in the healing of this man. He states that clearly a great deception is being performed. Instead of a slow, painful death, the man now stands healed. The guard confesses that this is a testament that the healed man is serving the true God. He explains that he himself has been serving a false god who makes false promises and asks that everyone worship him but shows no true love like the healed man has. The guard removes his uniform and proclaims that he will only serve the God whom the healed man serves, a God who truly heals and keeps His promises. The guard now walks to the end of the line and stands behind the healed man. He tells him he is sorry for harming him, that his eyes are now opened, and asks his forgiveness. He says he will follow him to make the same stand for Jesus.

 

The other two guards now join the first guard, and they also ask for forgiveness from the once broken man. The line now grows longer as many get in line. The healed man’s rich voice continues to sing as each individual stands for a moment, deciding whom they will serve—the pretended Jesus who walks this troubled earth or the Jesus who will come in the clouds and ask each one who is faithful to come away with Him.

 

The hymn continues to flow out over this place, where just moments before the world’s music was heard. Immediately, others begin to sing, and soon all the people in line are singing this song as if to make a promise to their heavenly Father and Savior.

 

The Herald says that all this was a result of the pleadings of a mother’s prayers many years before. She asked that if it was God’s will, the child would serve as a beacon to others, and bring them to repent and accept Jesus. She asked that the path he walked be one which he could tread, in spite of the challenges that would be placed before him.

 

Next, the Herald calls for the Guide angel. The Herald instructs him that he is to show me the final part of this message. Again, I am sitting on the couch in the corridor. The Guide tells me that I have been shown that as each of the blessed redeemed enter the gates of heaven, they will be given a robe and a crown. He reminds me that each will feel unworthy, and that many will raise their crowns and give credit to the love, patience, and petitions of their mothers. He explains that what he shows me now is symbolic, and that I am to document it, because it is a message for certain individuals.

 

I am standing beside others, including angels, along the top of the wall of the Holy City. Many are in the air. The redeemed are wearing their crowns and robes and are looking down on those outside the wall of the Holy City. The redeemed still feel unworthy, but each one knows that through Jesus, they have been found worthy in the eyes of the Father. The guilty, those who failed at the walk they were to have taken, stand below to receive their judgment. As I turn and look up to Jesus, who now sits as King Jesus, I am overwhelmed by His all-encompassing power and majesty. I know that He is just and right, and I stand in awe of Him.

 

In an instant, I find myself standing as one of the lost, looking up high at the redeemed. I feel that I deserve to be on the wall with the redeemed. I feel that I deserve a crown and a robe, because I have spoken and served in His name. {9}

 

Suddenly, I am unable to move. My arms are stretched out with my palms face up, as if I were about to hold something. I look up high and see Jesus sitting on His perfect throne. I again have the overwhelming feeling of His all-encompassing power and majesty, and that He is just and right. I stand in awe of Him and know without a doubt that His judgment is just, and that I fully deserve all that I am about to receive. Now I see that a robe has been draped over my arms. It is the robe I would have worn if I had been faithful. In my hands I see the crown that Jesus had prepared for me. It is the very crown He would have placed upon my head. I see others holding a robe and crown. {10} I notice that some of the crowns have many stars, while others have none. As I look at my crown, I see many stars. Each of those stars represents someone I brought to Jesus. As I stand there, I realize that I am unworthy to wear the robe and crown that He would have freely given me, if I had remained faithful. I feel that I have lost all for eternity. {11}

 

The dream changes, and again I am sitting on the couch in the corridor. In front of me are the Herald, the Guide, and the angel I call the “announcing” angel. I am crying over what I have just seen and experienced. I tell the angels that of all the things I have been shown, this has been the hardest to see. I cannot even put into words the thought of never being with Jesus, never being able to walk with Him and hold His hand, and never looking up into those wonderful eyes of love.

 

The dream changes again, and I am outside in the darkness of the evening. I see the Herald standing on a very large, raised area. He begins by saying, “As we have said, who we are is not important.” He smiles and says, “The only name that is worthy to be spoken is Jesus.” He pauses, lifts his head a little higher, and begins to sing: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus….”

 

Suddenly the night sky illuminates. In front of me, going down the hill into the valley and filling the air, is a vast number of angels. They all continue singing:

 

There’s just something about that name

Master, Savior, Jesus

Like the fragrance after the rain

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

Let all heaven and earth proclaim

Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away

But there’s something about that name.

 

While they sing, I feel a hand take my right hand and an arm placed around me. I look to the right and see Jesus. He is holding my right hand with His right hand, and He has placed His left arm around my left shoulder. I look up into His eyes at the love of the love of the love as He tells me to share this message with His people: “Be faithful. You are not alone. I am always with you. Be ready now, as I come immediately.” {12}

 

 

1. Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

1 Corinthians 10:13

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

 

Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 200

We need to trust in Jesus daily, hourly. He has promised that as our day is, our strength shall be. By His grace we may bear all the burdens of the present and perform its duties. But many are weighed down by the anticipation of future troubles. They are constantly seeking to bring tomorrow’s burdens into today. Thus a large share of all their trials are imaginary. For these, Jesus has made no provision. He promises grace only for the day. He bids us not to burden ourselves with the cares and troubles of tomorrow; for “sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

 

2. Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

 

Ye Shall Receive Power, p. 214

The seeds sown in infancy by the careful, God-fearing mother will become trees of righteousness, which will blossom and bear fruit; and the lessons given by a God-fearing father by precept and example will, as in the case of Joseph, yield an abundant harvest by and by.

 

My Life Today, p. 21

Great responsibilities rest upon you, mothers. . . . You may aid them to develop characters that will not be swayed or influenced to do evil, but will sway and influence others to do right. By your fervent prayers of faith you can move the arm that moves the world. . . . 

 

The prayers of Christian mothers are not disregarded by the Father of all. . . . He will not turn away your petitions, and leave you and yours to the buffetings of Satan in the great day of final conflict. It is for you to work with simplicity and faithfulness, and God will establish the work of your hands.

 

The Adventist Home, p. 536

The work of wise parents will never be appreciated by the world, but when the judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened, their work will appear as God views it and will be rewarded before men and angels. It will be seen that one child who has been brought up in a faithful way has been a light in the world. It cost tears and anxiety and sleepless nights to oversee the character building of this child, but the work was done wisely, and the parents hear the “Well done” of the Master.

 

3. Child Guidance, p. 523

Evening and morning join with your children in God’s worship, reading His Word and singing His praise.

 

4. Child Guidance, p. 17

It should be the object of every parent to secure to his child a well-balanced, symmetrical character. This is a work of no small magnitude and importance–a work requiring earnest thought and prayer no less than patient, persevering effort. A right foundation must be laid, a framework, strong and firm, erected; and then day by day the work of building, polishing, perfecting, must go forward.

 

5. Selected Messages, Book 3, p. 400

When profligacy [immorality] and heresy and infidelity fill the land, there will be many humble homes where prayer, sincere and contrite prayer, will be offered from those who have never heard the truth, and there will be many hearts that will carry a weight of oppression for the dishonor done to God. We are too narrow in our ideas, we are poor judges, for many of these will be accepted of God because they cherish every ray of light that shone upon them.

 

6. Manuscript Releases, Vol. 7, p. 112

Sabbathkeepers now cannot expect this, and should not, upon any consideration, engage in this terrible war. They have nothing to hope for. The desolating power of God is upon the earth to rend and destroy; the inhabitants of the earth are appointed to the sword, famine, and pestilence. (“Regarding the Civil War,” circa 1862.)

 

Selected Messages, Book 2, p. 335

We have just said farewell to three of our responsible men in the office who were summoned by the government to serve for three weeks of drill. It was a very important stage of our work in the publishing house, but the government calls do not accommodate themselves to our convenience. They demand that young men whom they have accepted as soldiers shall not neglect the exercise and drill essential for soldier service. We were glad to see that these men with their regimentals had tokens of honor for faithfulness in their work. They were trustworthy young men. 

 

These did not go from choice, but because the laws of their nation required this. We gave them a word of encouragement to be found true soldiers of the cross of Christ. Our prayers will follow these young men, that the angels of God may go with them and guard them from every temptation.

 

7. Evangelism, p. 498

When Christ was a child like these children here, He was tempted to sin, but He did not yield to temptation. As He grew older He was tempted, but the songs His mother had taught Him to sing came into His mind, and He would lift His voice in praise. And before His companions were aware of it, they would be singing with Him. God wants us to use every facility which Heaven has provided for resisting the enemy.

 

8. Philippians 2:9-11

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

The Review and Herald, August 5, 1909

The name of Jesus is all powerful to save. It is this magic name that dispels our darkness, and gives us light in the Lord. It cheers our hearts in the darkest seasons of our pilgrimage, and gives us peace with God.

 

9. Matthew 7:21-23

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

 

10. 2 Corinthians 5:15

And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

 

The Signs of the Times, October 6, 1887

Christ died for all. The sacrifice was complete. It is your privilege and duty to show to the world that you have an entire, all-powerful Saviour. It was the Son of the infinite God who died to purchase a full and free salvation for all that would accept it. Then why not take him as your Saviour? He rebukes your unbelief; he honors your faith.

 

11. That I May Know Him, p. 235

The Lord forces no one. The spotless wedding robe of Christ’s righteousness is prepared to clothe the sinner, but if he refuses it he must perish.

 

12. The Review and Herald, October 25, 1881

We know not the precise time when our Lord shall be revealed in the clouds of heaven, but he has told us that our only safety is in a constant readiness,–a position of watching and waiting. Whether we have one year before us, or five, or ten, we are to be faithful to our trust today. We are to perform each day’s duties as faithfully as though that day were to be our last.

 

* There’s Something About That Name lyrics by Bill and Gloria Gaither

* I Need Thee Every Hour lyrics by Annie S. Hawks